At the Edmonton International Film Festival’s 24/ONE screening last year, I voted for the film that made me laugh out loud the most. I ended up using the same measure this past Friday at this year’s 24/ONE. 6 Hours by Fourth Wall Productions got my vote (I couldn’t . It seemed others in the audience enjoyed it just as much, and they took home the coveted Best Picture prize, which is determined by the audience. It was a good time – check it out next year if you get the chance! On to this week’s food notes:

• Congrats to Transcend baristas Josh Hockin and Ben Put who took home both first and second place at the Canadian Barista Championships today!
• Liv wrote about Engrained, a new eatery on the U of A Campus in the Edmonton Clinic North building.
• Chris reviewed The Burger Joint on the south side.
• I wasn’t able to make it out to the Fall Sturgeon County Bounty at the Prairie Adventure Gardens this weekend, but Andrea was! Live vicariously through her delicious pictures here.
• Marilyn wrote about a lovely potluck dinner she had with fellow gardeners of the Edmonton Organic Growers Guild.
• The Journal staff were up to their elbows in pie judging which pie would take home the prize in The Great Pie Project. Congrats to Ruth Reay and her strawberry rhubarb pie! Find her recipe and nine others here.
• Looking for a unique Christmas gift? Valerie has updated her schedule of 2012 Taste Tripping classes.
• Love this: a photographic retrospective of food trucks! (Maria, the chuckwagons are for you!)
• I heart Gail Simmons! Here’s an interview she did recently with the Huffington Post. I’ll have to try her fish sauce/risotto trick some time.
• Will this be a trend that moves to Edmonton soon? Catch down in Calgary now has their wine menu on iPads!
• We had another one of our epic potlucks at work. It probably is a good thing we don’t have them too often, or else afternoon naps would become a standard, too!

Too much food!

• While Mack’s Mom was in town on Saturday, we had lunch together at Famoso. It was my first time having the pizzetta/soup combo, and I loved the fire-roasted tomato bisque! The sharpness from that sprinkle of cheese really helped bring out the flavour.

Sweet BBQ chicken pizzetta and tomato bisque

• We also attended a lovely wedding on Saturday – congrats to the newlyweds Mag and Joey!

The cupcake tower mirrored the colours of the wedding

• Mack and I also finally visited the Fort Edmonton Footbridge this weekend. A coworker commented to me that she doesn’t normally deem bridges to be a destination, but this one, tucked in the Wolf Willow neighbourhood, should be. The view from the top, with the sound of the creek bubbling away, reminded us more of Banff (minus the mountains) than of Edmonton.

Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Wolf Willow Ravine

View from the top

I hope you have a good week!

Hope you enjoyed the lovely weekend we were treated to! And if not, do take time this week to take a walk through your neighbourhood to soak up the light reflected off of golden trees, and to marvel at the beauty of wind-swept leaves. On to this week’s food notes:

• Bubba’s back! My Dad, the fan/stalker of the popular BBQ trailer, chatted with Bubba last week at his new set up just south of the Superstore on Calgary Trail and 51st Avenue. He’s just getting the power sorted out, and is expecting to be open at the end of September. He has signed a six month lease.
• Skinny Legs & Cowgirls has moved: Chris passed along a sign he saw at a cafe at Pender Island, BC, while he was vacationing there. It looks like the chef has relocated to the picturesque island. I wish them well!
• I’m excited to hear that the new Epcor Tower will be housing a Wild Earth Cafe, but am so disappointed to hear that there is no street-level access. Fountains don’t cut it.
• Congrats to Amanda Babichuk of d’Lish, who was recently honoured with a University of Alberta Alumni Recognition Award.
• Liane reported that Ethiopian favourite Langano Skies has reopened.
• Did you know there is a “secret” menu at Starbucks?
• Grub Street asks: is a restaurant responsible for your food allergies?
• Some grocers are phasing out self-checkouts. Nooo!
• The Chew, ABC’s new food-lifestyle daytime talk show, debuted today. I didn’t watch it, but after reading running commentary on the episode, I may not need to: “The concept of trying to watch somebody cook while three or four other people stand around and talk over the person cooking makes it really hard to pay attention to anything. It’s like one of those joke-y late-night-talk-show cooking segments, except it isn’t funny and it lasts an entire hour.”
• Speaking of food television, the new season of Top Chef: Texas will debut on November 2, 2011. New this season – Tom Collichio will be hosting online competitions that “will pit two previously eliminated contestants against one another.” The final winner will get to return to the on-air finale. Interesting way to bring people to the website.
• I just spotted a “Proudly Local” sticker associated with some of the apples in the produce section of the Italian Centre the other day. Given they also have the Eat Local First markers throughout the store, perhaps some streamlining is in order of its supplementary signage?

Proudly local

• Mack and I were craving comfort food on Friday night, and so found ourselves at The Bothy. Their chicken and leek pie is easily one of our favourite things to eat in the city, but I’ve also never been disappointed by their soups. That night, their wild mushroom soup was just perfect – seasoned well, with just the right amount of truffle oil to enhance but not stifle the earthy mushrooms. Delicious!

Chicken and leek pie and wild mushroom soup

• Drift was set up in the evening for the first time on Thursday, serving up burgers and soup. We loved their twinkle lights and outdoor seating! Check their Twitter feed to find out when their next evening service will be!

Drift for dinner

• Speaking of Drift, we caught up with Kara and Nevin again on Saturday, at the opening of the new Creekwood community in south west Edmonton. And when we say southwest, we mean fifteen minutes away from EIA. It was a bit disheartening, driving past acres of farmland that in a few short years will become another tract of development. Our reason for visiting was wanting to check out the “food truck promenade” that Creekwood had so heavily promoted on Twitter, one of the many attractions for their grand opening. Food trucks in both Edmonton and Calgary, because of their mobility and popularity, are starting to be used as a draw for new developments – it’ll be interesting to see how this continues. Anyway, Drift, Wannawafel, Fat Franks and Uncle Milt’s were all on hand, with patrons receiving food tickets in exchange for monetary donations to the Edmonton Food Bank. All items were priced at 1 ticket, so with the suggested donation being just $1/ticket, food was a steal. Our favourite item that day was Drift’s poutine, with so much melted cheese it was almost criminal! The jerk chicken sandwich was also very good. Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle wasn’t crispy on the outside, unlike Eva Sweet’s consistent creations, but it was good to have finally tried their product.

Trucks in Creekwood

Drift’s poutine

Drift’s jerk chicken sandwich (loved the pineapple)

Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle

• I went to Kuhlmann’s for the first time last week with a coworker. It is a beautiful greenhouse, and even this late in the season, is bursting with colour.

Gorgeous mums!

Beautiful flowering kale

Sculpture garden

Produce selection

• On a walk through the river valley yesterday, Mack and I passed by Shaw’s bountiful garden. Look at their gorgeous tomatoes!

Grow, tomatoes, grow!

• We went as far as the grounds around the Muttart Conservatory, where we were pretty sure a squirrel was actively trying to deter us from invading its space – namely, its stockpile of apples.

Patience, young squirrel

• Don’t you just love Edmonton in the fall?

Enjoy your week!

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! 2 on Friday! We thought the wind and overcast conditions might deter the crowds, but we should have known better than to doubt the hardy nature of Edmontonians! On to this week’s food notes:

• Sturgeon County is hosting another one of its taste events, called Sturgeon County Bounty, on October 1, 2011 at the Prairie Adventure Gardens. The menu is full of harvest favourites, like roasted pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie, and intriguing dishes like saskaturkey (turkey from Saskatchewan? Turkey stuffed with Saskatoons?). Mack and I attended the Bounty event back in July, and based on that experience, would definitely attend it again.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on October 21-22, 2011.
• Undercover Gourmet Catering is now open!
• Twyla’s review of Vivo was much less praise-worthy than the Journal’s.
• Phil wrote a great post about Drift Food Truck: “While Drift has mastered the art of the gourmet sandwich, it’s the teal beauty’s affable owners, Kara and Nevin, and their mastering of those little intangibles of business that make for ultra loyal, ultra valuable, repeat customers that really sets them apart.”
• Speaking of food trucks, Vue also had good piece on Nomad.
• The biggest news out of NY this week was the announcement that Sam Sifton is moving to a different position at the Times. Already, there are retrospectives on his two year tenure as the Dining Critic, and the speculation begins on who will be his replacement.
• As much as I love Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Food Network is taking the genre of “vicarious eating” a little too far – with The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and now, Sugar High and Heat Seekers, what happened to the cooking side of things?
• While at Superstore this weekend, I came across a “Buy BC” logo for the first time. It’s not new, but I hadn’t noticed it before. Anyone know if there is an Alberta equivalent?

Buy BC

• I stopped in at Transcend for lunch last week, and finally got to try their Latin American street food menu. The arepas ($7.50) were delicious, luscious pulled Irvings pork perfectly balanced with a fresh, slightly sour sauce. I’d probably need to order two plates for a full meal, however.

Arepas

• On Monday, I headed to watch Mack Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. It was a good excuse to eat from Bo Thai, the tiny trailer that has been parked at Churchill Square for a number of weeks. The green curry ($8) didn’t quite have the kick that I was hoping for, but the chicken was tender and on that chilly morning, it hit the spot.

Bo Thai

Green curry

And I know you’re all dying to see Mack in high heels (and yes, he rocked the walk too!)

Are you ready for What the Truck?! 2 this Friday? The menus are now up, so you can plan what to eat (or at least, how much to pace yourself that night). Hope to see you at 102 Street and Jasper Ave! On to this week’s food notes:

• Big City Sandwich, a forthcoming food truck, will be taking over the kitchen, pop-up style, at The Bend Lounge on September 18. RSVP to sample some of their fare early!
• Is it possible to dine out and help the Edmonton Food Bank at the same time? Yes – participating restaurants will be donating $10 for every $30 (up to a maximum of $60) spent during Yelp Eats, September 15-26, 2011.
• I just found out that Yellowhead Brewery is serving food! Well, sort of. The kitchen doesn’t have official hours because they haven’t had many people come through the doors when they have been open, but it’s a bit of a chicken-egg thing, isn’t it? They said they will be open this Saturday from 11:30-2 (ish), but with a menu like this, I really hope they choose to adopt more regular hours!
• Kerstin and her family will be travelling for a year, so Kerstin’s Chocolates will be run by Marianne Stover and Rachel Pereira in their absence.
• Lots of good stuff in the Journal last week: they reviewed Vivo, a new-ish Italian restaurant on the west end; featured Tangle Ridge Ranch in Taste Alberta; wrote a profile about the lovely ladies behind La Fourchette; and captured Chris’s love of offal.
• I like this approach by Slow Food chapters in the US – a challenge to make a good, clean and fair meal for $5, or, the average price of a fast food meal.
• It will be interesting to see the ramifications of this deal play out, but Zagat was bought by Google this week.
• I know Mack would love to be able to do this instead of actually cooking: consumers will be able to print out food in the future.
• Almost forgot to share these amazing pictures of the Tomatina festival, a massive tomato food fight held in  Spain every year.
• Speaking of tomatoes, ever wonder what sets apart true San Marzano tomatoes from the rest? Wonder no more.
• Spotted the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market poster, and thought it was worth sharing. Simple, but eye catching.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

• After a screening at Garneau, Annie and I stopped at The Dessert House (8412 109 Street, 780-439-7789) for a drink. It was standing room only inside! Their menu was an encyclopaedia of hot and cold drinks and desserts. I ended up with the strawberry bubble tea (with passionfruit pop bobas), and enjoyed it well enough.

Strawberry and papaya bubble teas

• Mack and I took advantage of summer’s resurgence over the weekend to satisfy a poutine craving. The walk back home was very much needed after sharing the large.

Quebecois poutine from La Poutine

• Unrelated to food, but so much fun I thought I’d share: to show solidarity with our Agency’s programs that address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), we joined them in a flash mob organized to promote awareness of FASD Day on September 9. The dance itself (done to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”) was a bit of a gong show, but we had fun doing it, and people stopped in their tracks, so mission accomplished! Thanks to Mack for coming and taking pictures!

FASD Flash mob at Kingsway Mall